Button-Bright in Oz (Re-Oz 1)
by Fairyland Chronicler
Summary: Button-Bright always had a knack for disappearing and showing up. This story chronicles his very own adventure, and how he brought his cousin Gary with him to Oz. First installment in my fan Oz series, which I'm calling 'Re-Oz'. Like Baum, I am open to suggestions and feedback from readers, including plot ideas for future books. Feel free to review! Will try to update twice a week
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**The Magical Umbrella**

Button-Bright hadn't been on any unusual adventures in quite some time. Not that he couldn't have had them if he wanted...

After all, this young lad has in his keeping a magical umbrella, which could take him anywhere in the world.

He'd already visited several fairy lands such as Mo and Oz, and he figured they most both exist somewhere in the southern hemisphere of our world.

For that was exactly the kind of things Button-Bright wanted to know. He had a most curious mind, and was rather Stoic in demeanor. A surprising qualiy perhaps, when found in someone so young.

Button-Bright didn't like to get over-excited like many boys his age, even though he enjoyed adventure from time to time.

His mother had begged him to stop going off on these adventures for months at a time. You see- she'd had no idea where the boy kept vanishing off to.

That was why the Magical Umbrella had been sitting in a closet collecting dust, while Button-Bright devoted himself to being an ordinary boy for a change.

However, it was currently winter- and that made Button's motivation to attempt normalcy go right out the window.

Philadelphia was always cloudy and depressing in winter, and Button-Bright found that presently- he'd like nothing better than an adventure to cure these.

Then he remembered the promise he'd made his mother, and resolved to be a good lad.

However, there would be no hope of that. Button-Bright was going to learn that soon enough.

One particularly cloudy day in January, his mother informed him that his cousin Gary would be staying with them awhile.

Button-Bright and Gary had almost nothing in common, and soon enough- that was to be the cause of his getting out the umbrella again.

Gary was the exact opposite of Button-Bright. He wasn't Stoic and thoughtful. He was talkative and full of himself.

If it could be said that Button-Bright's constant curiosity was a fault, than certainly Gary's pontificating tendencies were even more so!

Gary arrived one morning toward the end of January. From the moment his cousin deboarded the train- Button knew this was going to be a particularly unpleasant visit.

"You're so short still," Gary informed Button-Bright loftily during the car ride home. "I keep telling you to eat more leafy green vegtables, and drink more milk."

Button-Bright bit at his bottom lip rather harshly to keep himself from snapping at his cousin this early in the game.

The next few days would be no better...

Gary tormented Button-Bright nearly every hour of each day.

He airily informed his cousin that he built lincoln log houses wrong, and threw a football incorrectly.

Button-Bright had about reached the end of his rope. He was going to tell his cousin exactly what was on his mind for a change.

"You know what Gary?" Button-Bright quipped irritably. "I've always thought that you don't know nearly half the things you claim to. One doesn't get to know things by acting like they already understand."

Gary had a light chuckle at this.

"Ah!" he sighed airily. "My poor cousin Button! Still trying to play philosopher..."

Then Gary's smile turned particularly snide.

"Or should I call you Saladin?" he goaded Button-Bright on. "It's no wonder you're so backwards! You're not even properly American..."

Button-Bright was absolutely furious, and any other boy might have risen to Gary's bait and attacked.

However, the uniquely wise Button-Bright knew it wasn't smart to answer a fool according to his folly.

Instead, he headed straight for the closet where he kept his special umbrella.

Right now he was just about convinced to use it and magic himself away somewhere. His mother would understand if she really knew what Gary made him feel.

Unfortunately for him, Gary had followed him to the umbrella hiding place like a meddling little sneak.

No sooner had Button-Bright retrieved it, and Gary wrestled it from his grip.

"Hey!" Button-Bright shouted. "That's my umbrella!"

Gary only laughed in quite a mean way and ran out the front door, holding the umbrella just out of Button-Bright's reach, and making the younger boy attempt to jump for it.

Then something happened that was the last thing either one of them expected.

A strong gust tore through Philadelphia's streets and blew the umbrella so hard, it was suddenly forced open.

Gary found himself being raised into the air, and was just a little shocked.

Button-Bright seized his moment and grabbed hold of Gary's ankle, finding himself floating now.

"Let go!" Gary snapped.

"Give me my umbrella first," Button-Bright ordered flatly.

Gary could have given it to his cousin, but he wanted to prolong his fun and be spiteful a little longer.

"I'll never let it go," he said with hostility.

"Then I won't let your ankle go," Button-Bright retorted.

That was how it came to be that the two young lads floated higher and higher, pulled upward and across the sky by the umbrella.

"Couldn't let you go now if I wanted," Button-Bright said with a slight hitch of nervousness at how they were presently.

"I suppose not," Gary agreed reluctantly.

...and so- all the two of them could do was float along as the umbrella carried them toward an unknown destination.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Cousins in the Clouds**

The two young lads drifted through the skies above the earth, held aloft by only the umbrella.

How long this lasted- they couldn't have said for certain afterwards

After a long time had passed, the umbrella reached the clouds floated up through the vast expanse.

Button-Bright was starting to get worried because his umbrella had never carried him quite this high before.

Now the clouds were below them, and still they rose higher.

Button-Bright couldn't exactly ignore that the only thing holding him to this world was clinging to the ankle of a cousin he had always despised.

However, things are changed between even the bitterest of enemies- if even once they're forced to rise above their differences and survive.

Button-Bright only hesitated a moment to speak his mind.

"Holding your ankle is getting hard," he admitted, making sure his cousin could hear.

Gary hardly liked Button-Bright any better, but just now his thoughts were only the bare fact that his cousin's life hung by his ankle.

Gary knew that deep down he didn't truly hate Button-Bright, and he'd never want anything to happen to his cousin.

"Trust me?" he asked his cousin, reaching down his free hand, while the other held fast to the umbrella.

Button-Bright wondered only for a moment if he should trust his cousin, but found that he did.

You see, Button-Bright now knew that his cousin didn't really hate him so much. If Gary had, he could simply allow him to fall.

Button-Bright took courage and used his free hand to grip his cousin's own.

He could feel that the hand was strong, so he released his cousin's ankle and was quickly pulled up.

Now they both clung to the umbrella, and were forced to see one another face to face.

Button-Bright saw in his cousin's face a caring that had never been there, and managed an awkward smile.

"How long you figure we'll be up here for?" Gary asked him, and he sounded like a nicer young lad.

Button-Bright looked down and noticed they were still ascending.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I hope not much longer, or we might hit the top of the world..."

Gary looked a little skeptical.

"Is there a top of the world?" he wondered.

Button-Bright found it encouraging that his cousin hadn't answered as though he already knew it.

This adventure was already working on his cousin and improving him greatly, Button thought.

"I read once in the Greek myths there is," Button-Bright replied. "The sky is the top of the world, and it's held up by a being named Atlas."

Then he wondered to himself if they might not find some new fairy land at the top of the world?

Presently, while Button-Bright entertained these things, the sky changed to a strange twilight color of deep purple.

He thought he could see stars shining above them in sky that looked pitch black.

Then the umbrella started to move toward the east on a very gentle breeze. Upward and eastward.

Button-Bright could see that they were headed directly for an opening like a cave mouth. It was in the side of a huge cloud that seemed to hang directly beneath the black sky above, just where the twilight ends.

"Wonder what's in there?" Gary asked suddenly, cutting into his cousin's curious thoughts.

The umbrella was almost close enough for them to step into the cloud cave, and they could see that a flight of stairs led further in and downward.

Each stair was a single fluffy white feather, but might have been intended for giants.

They were just like the feathers Button-Bright knew was inside pillows, for he'd once used his pocket knife to cut one open from curiosity.

Finally, they touched down on the very top step. Button-Bright closed the umbrella and stretched.

He and Gary both wondered where the downward steps would lead them in this strange cloud country.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**The Decider**

Button-Bright found himself thinking that he and his cousin had happened upon something most strange.

The pillow feather stairs took a few minutes to descend, suggesting that the cloud's inside was much bigger than it's outside.

Button-Bright didn't have too much trouble with this seeming contradiction however. He'd learned that things are rarely how they appear, especially in fairy lands.

Finally the steps ended, but the downward descent continued.

The walls of the passage were no longer downy and white like a cloud, but had phased out into something much more like an actual cave.

The walls appeared to be of stone. The air also seemed more damp and stale.

"Curious," Gary muttered aloud, for he was quite fascinated himself.

However, the cave floor seemed to even out just a little further ahead- and sure enough.

Now they were walking forward on an almost perfectly flat cavern floor.

Even more strange was where the corridor seemed to end. It opened into a large dome-like room.

When they got closer, the cousins could make out that it was very like a throne room.

On a large patio chair, which is not a throne strictly speaking- sat a giant of a man dressed in white robes.

His legs were like small oaks, and he had massive white wings. His eyes glowed like white coals.

"Step forward mortals," a voice whispered from somewhere nearby, but neither of the lads saw anyone.

Button-Bright realized with astonishment that the whisper must be coming from the man!

"Begging your pardon," Button addressed the winged figure, bowing low. "My umbrella brought us here, and we hope you'll be agreeable."

"I know your umbrella brought you here," the man's voice whispered. "I guided it. You see, I make it my business to judge and decide matters in my spare time."

The winged being fell silent, and Gary shivered. He didn't like the creature much at all.

"I seek to know all things interesting in this world," the being continued. "I have watched you and your Oz friends for many a year Saladin."

Button-Bright was surprised- both at hearing the being call him by his name, and learning that the thing had knowledge of Oz.

"You shouldn't be able to see Oz," Button-Bright contradicted the thing. "Glinda made Oz invisible to all outsiders!"

The white coal eyes fixed on the boy, and for the first time the being's mouth moved. It laughed!

"Why so she did!" it exclaimed much louder through it's mouth, sounding slightly amused. "However, that doesn't mean that I don't have my ways. The peoples of the world have long told mythical tales about me! I see through the eyes of the raven, the crow, the sparrow..."

Button-Bright was a little disconcerted at this new information. Was the thing on the throne a god of some sort?

The being chuckled in a lower voice, as though knowing the boy's thoughts.

"Where was I?" the being asked in a whisper once more, it's mouth ceasing to move. "I've watched you many a year Saladin, and all the places your umbrella has taken you."

Gary had listened to all of this quietly so far. It sounded strange to him- to be sure.

He'd never heard of any place called Oz, or anything pertaining to fairy lands.

"Sir," Gary dared to speak, addressing the being. "Can you tell me why you brought us both here? Why did you bring me into it?"

The creature fixed it's white coal eyes on Gary, but they were narrowed, and Button-Bright was pretty sure he saw dislike there.

"Why did I bring you here?!" the being thundered with it's mouth again, laughing like Gary had asked something hysterical. "I brought you here to pass judgment on you. To do to you what ought be done to those that would attack interesting people!"

Button-Bright gasped and realized with horror what the great being was saying.

"No!" he exclaimed to the creature on the throne. "Gary is my cousin. Please don't judge him! Please, sir?"

"Alas," the being said, sounding only a little sorry. "It's what I do. They call me the Decider. Now I must decide your cousin's fate for attacking interesting people, and wanting to steal the magic of the umbrella. For magic theives are also under my judgment!"

Gary started to tremble horribly, but the Decider showed no pity. It stood from it's patio chair and pointed a finger at Gary.

"Wait!" Button-Bright blurted. "He didn't try to steal magic."

The being didn't lower it's finger, however.

"Minions!" he thundered. "Seize that one!"

Gary tried to turn and flee, but a bunch of winged gargoyle-like beings descended from above and grabbed his arms.

"It may not have seemed that way to you," the Decider said. "You are a mortal, and you cannot see things as I do. Your cousin had every intent of theft and malice in his heart, at the moment he refused to give your umbrella back. I know the hearts and minds of man Saladin..."

"Who made your their judge?" Button-Bright challenged him.

The Decider's white coal eyes seem to blaze brighter, and the cavern shook slightly.

"I don't need to explain myself to a mortal," the being said arrogantly. "Enough Saladin! Take that boy away minions..."

The creatures started to drag Gary across the cave floor. All the while, he kept kicking and flailing in his attempt to escape them.

"No!" Button-Bright pleaded. "Please don't do this!"

"Silence!" the Decider thundered at him. "I will do as I deem just and right! I am beginning to lose my patience with you Saladin. Therefore, I advise you to hold your tongue!"

Gary was being dragged away by the gargoyle creatures, and he turned a tearful expression of pure terror on his cousin.

"Button help me!" he pleaded. "I don't want to get judged!"

Button-Bright felt his heart break for a cousin he'd hated only hours ago, but then he remembered that Gary had kept him alive during their umbrella flight.

He remembered the first time their expressions had shown love for one another in their smiles.

Besides- Button had already decided to himself that he'd never really hated Gary after all...

"Stop!" Button-Bright shouted. "I won't let you take my cousin!"

The Decider turned furious eyes on him.

"Then you join him!" the being thundered with fury. "You come here to my dominions, and presume to tell me how to judge?!"

"You're not judging!" Button-Bright fired back at him. "Judges use justice and mercy. You're just being a bully!"

The Decider became so furious that it's white coal eyes burned red and the entire cavern began to quake violently.

"Silence mortal!" the Decider thundered terribly. "Minions, forget the other one for now. Capture Saladin!"

The gargoyle-like beasts let Gary go and bounded on Button-Bright, pulling him harshly by his arms.

"Button-Bright," Gary spoke with sincere tears of conviction rushing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry! I know I've been terrible to you. I know I've judged you for having Muslim ancestry. I know I've judged your name. I know I've called you a false American..."

"Quiet!" the Decider thundered at Gary.

The gargoyle minions started dragging Button-Bright away somewhere, and the terrible to behold Decider turned on Gary with it's terrible claws raised.

"Now mortal," it said to him in a terrible voice. "Since Saladin has taken your place- I'll simply do away with you!"

It lunged, but Gary was gone in a flash. If the beast had turned to toward his minions, he'd have seen Button-Bright vanish right then.

As for the boys- both of them thought their eyes must be tricking them.

In a blink the Decider's throne room was no longer there, and they were standing in a magnificent city of emeralds, graced by the blue skies above.

Button-Bright caught on before Gary did, and he smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Look here Gary," he encouraged his cousin. "We're in the Emerald City, in the land of Oz. Ozma's done it!"

Gary only managed to look bewildered. For of course he had no idea who Ozma was...

However, he'd have to forget all that and collect himself quickly. For a strange tall man with green whiskers in a soldier's uniform was making his way toward them.

Gary wondered just who this strange new character was...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Button-Bright and Gary Before Ozma**

The soldier with the green whiskers stopped in front of the young lads and saluted Button-Bright.

"Good to see you safe sir," the soldier said, and turned his gaze on Gary. "Glad your cousin is in good condition as well!"

Gary was still shocked by the appearance of the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, finding it hard to speak.

"Begging your pardon sir," he said awkwardly. "I've never seen fashion like yours."

The soldier merely chuckled lightly at this.

"I'm used to that reaction!" he said. "Especially from new arrivals in Oz like yourself. It appears Ozma shall have to eat her own words again!"

Then the soldier walked with them toward the palace doors and explained to Gary how Ozma disliked the ever-increasing number of outsiders in Oz.

"Yet she can't seem to be rid of them," the soldier finished. "If Dorothy doesn't bring 'em, they somehow find their way here regardless."

Now they were walking down a long hall, headed for a wide set of doors.

"You're about to meet Ozma," the soldier spoke, talking more to Gary than Button-Bright. "Mind you keep a civil tongue in your head!"

With that he rapped on the throne room doors with his riffle and stepped back.

It was quite a famous personage of Oz that threw back the doors to invite them in- the Scarecrow himself!

"Good to see you again," the Scarecrow told Button-Bright affectionately. "I never worry when you leave us, for I know your umbrella can always return you."

"Are you really a Scarecrow?" Gary asked, sounding like he still doubted his eyes.

"Every bit of it," the Scarecrow said proudly. "Come in cousin of Button-Bright! Meet our lovely ruler, Ozma..."

The Scarecrow led the two lads in, while the Soldier with the Green Whiskers saluted and went his way.

Gary could hardly believe how beautiful Oz's ruler was.

She must be only a little older than he and Button-Bright, and yet- here she sat in state!

"How do you do?" Gary asked her politely, making a shy bow.

"I'm well," Ozma replied sweetly. "Your cousin is quite dashing, Button-Bright."

"That's short work I've made on him," Button-Bright admitted. "He is beginning to be dashing, Your Majesty."

Ozma nodded and her expression became a little more serious.

"You're probably wondering how you got here?" she asked, speaking more to Gary.

Button-Bright knew fully well that either the Wizard or Ozma's belt had transported them.

Gary however, was in the dark, and he nodded.

"I brought you here with a magical belt that once belonged to the Nomes," Ozma explained. "I barely managed to get you away in time. Once Glinda sent word that her magic book showed danger for the two of you- I brought you here at once."

Ozma then looked a little worried, which surprised Button-Bright. Oz's ruler rarely showed worry in this bright land.

"I worry that the Decider will be angry," Ozma said, looking a little sad for her subjects. "He's a very powerful fairy you know. I hope we will hear no more from him..."

Button-Bright felt terribly, for he would hate to be the cause of misfortune for Ozma or her subjects.

However, Ozma's expression brightened, and that made things nicer.

"No use in worrying about what may be baseless," Ozma said. "I have a little job I'd like you and Gary to undertake Button-Bright."

Button inclined his head respectfully, ascenting to whatever Ozma would ask.

"There's a principality of Oz called Bunnybury," Ozma went on. "Dorothy may have mentioned this strange city to you. There you will find a great Rabbit King. I'd like to send the two of you to him, with this royal writ."

At this juncture, Ozma handed Button-Bright a scroll of parchment, rolled up and tied with a green ribbon.

"After you bring the Rabbit King that writ, I'd also like you to visit Bunbury, which is just down the road from there. I want you to make sure that my extremely delicate subjects are doing well, and please- I must ask you not to eat anything in Bunbury. However tempted you may be..."

Button-Bright had made up his mind to speak to Dorothy while Ozma spoke, but that was not to be...

"Is Princess Dorothy here?" Button asked the Oz ruler.

"I am sorry," Ozma answered him apologetically. "I sent her and Betsy to see to business in Ev. I need to make sure the Nomes are not bothering the people of Ev..."

Then Ozma had Gary repeat her instructions back, having no doubt that Button-Bright would remember.

When Ozma was satisfied that they understood their mission, she kindly dismissed them, instructing them to gather what supplies they would quickly.

They were to set off that same day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**The Mock Trial**

The Decider had been only a little surprised when Gary vanished, causing his claws to just barely miss.

That surprise quickly gave way to a fury so firey, his entire cloud cavern shook like a high-magnitude earthquake. Many of his things fell over and shattered, or else rolled across the cave floor.

"Sire," one of his gargoyle-like minions dared to speak. "Please..."

The shaking stopped and the Decider took a deep breath. However, his voice still sounded angry when he spoke.

"Yes my minion," he agreed. "It wouldn't do to destroy this cloud I call home, at the top of the world- when it makes me the highest of all fairies in fact."

The Decider began pacing his cavern. Each time his foot fell, the cave shook dangerously.

"Sire," another of his minions warned.

"Fine!" the Decider spat, having little patience, but sat in his patio chair. "Now I must decide what to do. No one escapes my judgment!"

One of his minions approached, daring to speak.

"What do you suppose became of the lads sire?"

The Decider didn't answer for a long moment.

"If you had anything except air between your ears, fool- you'd have been listening when I addressed Saladin! They have almost certainly been spirited away to Oz, by their friend Ozma. She has no right to be called a fairy in my league, since her father was a mortal man!"

The Decider's minions decided, probably wisely, not to interrupt their terrible master.

"If there were some way I could reach them in Oz..." the dark fairy pondered to himself aloud. "I could still punish them!"

Then he realized there was a way he could maybe carry out sentence.

The birds of Oz were every much his eyes and ears inside that fairy country, as they were anywhere else.

He could use his little eyes- the eyes of the raven, the bat, and such to watch his foes.

That being said, he closed his eyes and placed himself behind the eyes of some blue birds.

The blue birds just happened to be by the gates of the Emerald City, as Button-Bright and Gary hauled boxes of provisions out, and placed them in the royal red wagon.

The Decider quickly opened his eyes, and this vision faded out into his cavern once more.

"They're going on a journey," he declared with certainty. "Minions! Bring out the bench..."

The minions did exactly that.

They rolled in a large judge's bench on wheels, that stood as high as one in any court room.

It took them some effort to be sure, and a bunch of them had to push. However, finally it was done.

Then the Decider started to be truly ridiculous- for he believed himself someone of much importance.

He put on pompous airs, which are usually over the top and unnecessary.

He donned a great powdered wig, and had his minions drape a large black cape around him.

Then he took up a large gavel and was seated at the bench.

He slammed the gavel down.

"This court will come to order," he declared to the cavern, which was empty except for his groveling minions. "Read the charges of the criminals!"

One of the impish creatures came forward with a magic scroll. This scroll contained the names of all whom the Decider judged.

"Saladin," the minion began. "...known also as Button-Bright- is hereby charged with obstruction of justice, aiding and comforting a criminal, and contempt of the bench. In his place, one of our terrible liege's subjects has agreed to represent the defendent. How does the defendent answer the charges?"

Another of the creatures stood.

"Guilty," he said.

The Decider smiled with satisfaction, but he knew none of his minions would ever dare to displease him.

"Read the charges of the other one," the Decider ordered.

"Cousin of aforesaid defendent," the minion read from the scroll. "...one Gary. Charged with assaulting a magician, attempted theft of a magical artifact, and resisting arrest."

The Decider scowled with slight disapproval.

"The charges will also read as following," the fairy declared. "They will read that Gary is also guilty of contempt of the bench, and ducking punishment."

"Acknowledged," the council said.

"Prepare to be sentenced," the Decider spoke. "Button-Bright is found guilty as charged. He will be dropped in a vat of cough syrup, and then be given nothing to eat for three years except salad, and without the luxury of dressing."

The Decider pounded his gavel down to seal the sentence.

"Gary," the Decider went on. "...is also found guilty. He will be forced to stand behind a horse, which will drag him through the dirt for fifty miles. He will arrive at the journey's end, where I will transform him into a potato. Then he will be dropped into the Land of Naught, where the wooden gargoyles will almost certainly make him into potato salad."

The imps cheered at their master's pronouncements, and the mighty fairy was pleased with himself.

Of course, that court had only been entirely for show.

There was no way the Decider could carry such sentences out, when he could not enter Oz to arrest the criminals.

Therefore, he would have to make do with whatever punishment he could make stick- and they were likely to be worse...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**A Field of Tickle Grass**

Button-Bright and Gary turned their course south, which is where the Quadling Country lay.

Bunbury and Bunnybury were located in the Quadling Country, which Button-Bright well knew from Dorothy. She had visited both settlements on an adventure of theirs.

Button-Bright himself had never been in these strange settlements, where it was said rabbits live, and baked goods had come alive.

To reach either of the four countries of Oz from the Emerald City, one has to pass through wide open plains of grasses and flowers.

Button-Bright and Gary took turns pulling the wagon, while Princess Ozma's wooden horse walked.

The Wooden Sawhorse should have been pulling the wagon, but he'd tricked the humans into doing it by implying that he did all the work.

Button-Bright and Gary were boys, and could hardly bear such an insult to their work ethic. Therefore, the Sawhorse got to enjoy watching humans pull the wagon for a change...

Little did any of them know- the birds all around were paying close attention.

To be more precise, the Decider was watching through their eyes.

His eyes were closed in his cavern far above the world. It was only with his eyes closed that he could see through his birds.

He watched the boys pull the wagon, and noted with amusement that a living Sawhorse was with them.

'You think that horse has you suffering,' the Decider thought, watching Button-Bright pant for air as he pulled the wagon. 'Just wait...'

Then the Decider used his fairy powers to do something else.

The grass of the fields around the Emerald City began to grow and blow about- even though there was no wind.

Button-Bright had just noticed this, and found it odd. However, neither he or Gary had time to prepare for what happened next.

A long tendril of grass snaked around Button's ankle and lifted him off the ground.

Gary found himself in the same predicament.

Then another shoot of grass grew ever longer and began tickling Button-Bright in his sides.

The boy started laughing and flailing to free himself. To no avail...

If you have ever been tickled for a good long time- you know that it's hard to breathe.

Button-Bright was now turning red in the face from inability to inhale, but still he couldn't stop laughing.

The Sawhorse had understood the danger upon seeing Gary and Button turn red.

He began to kick at the grass, but his wood was harmless to it.

Button was now choking with laughter and had gone from red to a dark cherry shade.

He was now very in danger of passing out, and still the cruel dark fairy refused to release his hold.

Then the Decider saw something else in his mind, which was both watching through Oz's birds, and controlling the tickle grass.

He saw a bright light and felt something push at him.

His eyes flew open as he was thrown hard across his cavern and collided with a wall.

Button-Bright and Gary were released from the grass, which immediately shrunk and became normal again.

The boys gathered their breath and wondered what could have caused the grass to behave that way.

Button-Bright found himself thinking only magic could do it, which he knew was illegal under Ozma's laws.

The whole thing puzzled him...

Meanwhile, the Decider stormed to and fro in his cavern, as his minions watched with silenced fear.

"Lurline!" the dark fairy roared angrily. "It could only have been she! I'd forgotten..."

He well knew that Lurline the good fairy had created Oz, but hadn't expected her to interfere.

The Decider wondered if she would try to repel him again.

For a time, the dark fairy's mind was off of Button-Bright and Gary.

They were almost certainly safer for it...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**The Dark Fairy's Ruse**

For some time Gary and Button-Bright traveled south in perfect safety after the tickle grass incident.

The Sawhorse now thought it best to do his duty and pull the royal wagon. After all, it was kind of his fault the grass had been able to get his companions.

Because of his stiff-neckedness, Button and Gary had been on the grass. The wooden creature thought he'd learned a lesson about doing things for your friends, even if they don't necessarily benefit oneself.

Now Gary and Button could see the thick outline of forest ahead that indicated the Quadling Country's border.

The trees in this forest could be quite troublesome and sometimes grabbed at people.

Button-Bright hoped that wouldn't happen today, and so onward they pressed toward the Quadling Country.

As long as the Decider raged and puzzled in his sky cavern- they were safe.

However, now the dary fairy was beginning to form a scheme.

He would probably have been wiser to just abandon his plans for judgment, but he wasn't used to not getting people he wanted to get.

After all, he was a powerful fairy in his own right, and being a dark fairy- was also full of himself and arrogant.

He had thought his problem over, and found what might prove a solution.

He ordered two of his minions to fly for the Forest of Burzee and request negotiation terms from Queen Lurline, but that was just a distraction.

His minions were ordered to fly fast like falling meteors, so in no time they were in Burzee.

The Fairy Queen thus sidetracked- the Decider decided to try his luck again.

First he became the eyes of two robins sitting in the trees at the forest edge.

Beneath the eyes of these two robins, the royal wagon bearing our friends passed.

The Decider knew all about these trees and their reputation, as it happened.

He began to whisper on the wind suggestions, which he willed to carry the far distance to the land of Oz.

The trees heard his whispernings, and one of them shot out it's lowest branch at once and forcefully pulled Gary from the wagon by his arm.

"Ah!" Gary screamed in fright. "Button, help me!"

Button-Bright looked horrified- for he didn't know how he was going to fight off a bunch of trees.

The Decider decided right then what to do. It would be easier for him to split up the two youths, and thus handle them individually

True he could have used the trees to exact a terrible vengence indeed, but he had no guarantee they would follow violent suggestions.

He knew a thing or two about the fairy land of Oz, and the non-violence of most of it's creatures.

Therefore, he whispered another suggestion onto the wind, which one of the trees liked.

Another tree grabbed Button-Bright up forcefully.

The Sawhorse was neighing furiously to scare the trees, for he knew kicking them would accomplish nothing.

Then the trees began to pass Gary to one another, and as they did this- Gary was carried further and further away.

"Button!" Gary shouted, but his voice was already distant.

Button-Bright struggled in vain against the branch holding him captive.

Then the branch raised him high and threw him. He soared over several trees, only to be caught by another's branches.

Then that tree threw him, and on this went.

Soon Button-Bright and Gary were far away from one another, and the Sawhorse had no hope of soon finding them.

Seeing this was the case- the wooden beast took off in the opposite direction, back toward the Emerald City to inform Ozma of their troubles.

The Decider was pleased for a time, having split the party into three.

This triumph pleased him so that he postponed punishment until later on.

About that time his two minions returned from Burzee.

They landed and were trembling from head to toe with fright.

"What is the matter with you minions?" the Decider snapped seeing them so shaken.

"Queen Lurline refused to see us," one of them answered in a small voice. "She knew it was a ruse, and said if you ever pull that again she'll remove our wings, and make us crawl on our bellies forever after."

The Decider inwardly raged at Lurline's threats, but he knew fully well she could carry them out.

He resolved right then not to use any more such ruses on the Fairy Queen in the future...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**Facing the Knives**

Button-Bright was tossed from tree to tree like a bean bag toy for what seemed at least an hour.

He wasn't really sure how long it had lasted, but finally he was thrown by the last tree, and landed hard against the grass in a clearing.

The clearing was odd. That was the first thing he noticed upon bringing himself to stand.

There were stoves scattered here and there, along with kitchen islands and butcher blocks.

The entire place was abandoned, but he vaguely recalled something about Utensia from a previous adventure.

He wondered where all the living silverware was, and noticed the entire placed looked trashed upon further observation.

Some of the stoves were banged up and turned over. Some of the islands lay in shambles.

It was clear something bad had happened here...

As Button thought this, he had a vague and sudden sense of eyes watching him.

He turned toward some nearby bushes, but found nothing.

He was about to turn and look a different way when a rope flew up over his shoulder quick as mustard and caught him.

Several more ropes entrapped him and he was drug back- now a prisoner.

"We got a human," several little voices repeated to one another with excitement.

Button was surprised to find when he looked around- a bunch of kitchen knives had surrounded him.

A butcher knife and carving knife were holding the ropes that had him restrained, while a particularly dull butter-knife paced.

"What to do with our prisoner?" the butter-knife wondered.

A steak knife beat the ground with it's blade in protest.

"Bah!" it said to the butter-knife. "Like we'd let you decide it? You're just a butter-knife, and aren't much use for cutting anything!"

"That may be true enough," the butter-knife said with an air. "However, let us not forget I led us in the toppling of Utensia. I commanded the cleavers and chased off all the other silverware."

A bunch of the knives laughed amongst themselves at this.

"Yes!" chuckled the cleaver. "A lot of good that's done us too..."

"Enough of that sir!" the butter-knife retorted. "I suggest we take this prisoner to the forks, and see what they make of him."

Several of the knives hopped at this to show their agreement, and soon Button-Bright was forced to walk along behind them.

He was bound with quite strong ropes and could not have resisted- even if his jailers were a butcher cleaver and a carving knife...


End file.
